Winner: Inside the Wave

The Winner of the 2017 Costa Book of the Year Award is the poetry collection, Inside the Wave by Helen Dunmore. Wendy Holden, chair of the final judges, said: "We all felt this is a modern classic; a fantastic collection, life affirming and uplifting. The poems carry powerful messages that speak to all of us."

Costa Children's Book Award 2017 Shortlisted titles

Costa Book Awards 2017

The Costa Book Awards is one of the UK's most prestigious and popular literary prizes and recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year, written by authors based in the UK and Ireland.

Since their launch in 1971, the awards have rewarded a wide range of excellent books and authors across all genres.

Uniquely, the prize has five categories - First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book - with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year. It is the only prize which places children’s books alongside adult books in this way.

The judges will select their favourite book in each category in early January and these books will then be shortlisted for the 2017 Costa Book of the Year. The overall winner was announced at an awards ceremony in central London on Tuesday 30th January 2018.